Bernard Cornwall's 'Agincourt' To Be Adapted

As many of you are undoubtedly aware, I'm a sucker for a good historical epic, especially if it's set in that darkest of ages. Though the medieval period is the subject of thousands of books, and everyone knows something about the Black Death or the 100 Years War, few movies ever tackle those history-shaking events. But we might be getting one according to Variety, who reports that London's Independent Film is bringing Bernard Cornwell's Agincourt to the big screen.

Everyone knows Agincourt from Shakespeare's Henry V, but it's never gotten much cinematic attention outside of Kenneth Branagh which is surprising. After all, movies with hungry, dysentary-riddled underdogs who defeat a larger, more powerful force is the stuff of every war movie ever made. Plus, this is the battle that medieval chroniclers claimed killed chivalry (as if it ever existed), and supposedly gave us the two-fingered (well, one if you're American) salute. But really, "We few, we happy few, we band of brothers" isn't nearly as poetic and inspiring when you remember that the English were invading France purely for their own gain. Not exactly the Battle of Thermopylae, or Valley Forge, you know?

Luckily, by using Bernard Cornwell's bestselling novel, they can play fast and sympathetic thanks to it being centered around a fictional, chivalrous archer named Nicholas Hook, who joins King Henry on his quest for the French crown, and winds up at Agincourt. Luckily, his personal saint happens to be St. Crispinian, so he's got that going for his survival odds. Agincourt is being adapted by Michael Hirst, the pen behind Showtime's The Tudors and Shekhar Kapur's Elizabeth. He's a good fit for the book, and will be able to balance Cornwell's meticulous military descriptions with blood, glory, and medieval romance. It won't be accurate, but it'll probably be a really good watch! It's slated to begin shooting in spring 2011.